Word of the Day

: December 18, 2006

bailiwick

noun BAY-lih-wik

What It Means

1 : the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff

2 : a special domain

bailiwick in Context

Since the organization of the annual holiday party is Rhonda's bailiwick, you'll have to let her know if you plan to bring something to the festivities this year.

Did You Know?

The first half of the word "bailiwick" comes from the Middle English word for "bailiff," in this case a term referring to a sheriff or chief officer of a town in medieval England, not the officer who assists today in U.S. courtrooms. "Bailiff" derives via Anglo-French from the Latin "bajulare," meaning "to carry a burden." The second half of "bailiwick" comes from "wik," a Middle English word for "dwelling place" or "village," which ultimately derived from the Latin "vicus," meaning "village." (This root also gave us "-wich" and "-wick," suffixes used in place names like Norwich and Warwick.) Although "bailiwick" dates from the 15th century, the "special domain" sense did not begin to appear in English until the middle of the 19th century.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.